I don’t remember the exact day when my school stopped serving complimentary lunches and we, the students, had to pack our own…but it was some time around Grade 1. Although I’m fuzzy about some details, I remember the the lunchbox and the anticipation of learning what lay inside like it was yesterday. My box was decorated with my favorite superheroes: Wonder Woman and Superman. I proudly toted it all the way to school, holding it up every so often to stare at my heroes – my mother’s warning, “Don’t open it up until lunchtime” flashing through my mind. I remember arriving at school and having to part with my box, resting it carefully on a shelf in the cloakroom, turning around every so often during class to catch a glimpse. When the lunch bell rang, I raced to grab my lunchbox and ran to the lunch table. Hands shaking, I open the clasp and began pulling out the contents. My heart sank. What lay inside wasn’t the Twinkies and pizza I had imagined all day, but an apple and a baloney sandwich. Lunchbox letdown.
Throughout my life I’ve experienced these moments. Moments when I had high expectations, only to be disappointed by reality. We’ve often been told never to over-promise and under-deliver – D’uh. And some brilliant business person out there told us the solution is to under-promise and over-deliver – a statement I vehemently disagree with. I love Seth Godin’s response: Make big promises and deliver. Simple.
I’m a big fan of Seth’s. I read his blog every day. I’ve bought all of his books and audio books. So, when he released SHIP IT, I raced to amazon to purchase a copy. I waited eagerly for the package to arrive at my door. When it finally did, I ripped open the outer envelope and experienced that familiar feeling again. My heart sank when I pulled out the tiny little pamphlets. But wait, I told myself, the magic will surely be inside. So I spent time reading through the sparse pages, consuming the content of the 30 questions. These pamphlets and the content inside came nowhere to meeting my expectations. All I can say is Lunchbox letdown.
What types of experiences have you had that haven’t met your expectations? How did you handle them?
Have you used SHIP IT? What did you think?
[on READY2SPARK] Lunchbox letdown – http://www.ready2spark.com/2010/10/lunch… #eventprofs
I couldn’t help but crack a smile as I read the beginning of your post about grade school lunches and lunch boxes. I too have some very specific memories about school lunches and lunch boxes, though they are slightly different from yours. I never recall lunches ever being free (and I’m sure I’m a little older than you). In fact, it’s because they were not free and my family could not afford to pay for school lunches that I was a lunch carrier. Why I remember this is because at lunch, those that carried their lunch had to sit at a different table! There were only a handful of us who were “carriers” and we were generally the kids from the lower end of the economic scale. I distinctly remember being embarrassed about being a lunch carrier, and while I don’t recall being teased about it by the other kids, it was a bit of a yellow star.
In any case, I never looked forward to what was in my lunchbox each day because I was salivating at the wonderful school food all the privileged kids were eating, lol. (Our school cook at the time went on to become the town’s most renowned Italian caterer! A shout out to Mollica’s Catering in Niles, Ohio). So in order to qualify for one of those hot meals, I always volunteered to pass out the milk in the cafeteria line which would usually garner you a free meal ticket. The catch was, at the time you volunteered you didn’t know what they were serving. So on those days my surprise (good or bad) was contingent on the cook’s choice of the day. When Mrs. Mollica served up her famous mostaccioli, it was a day of celebration. But if it was “pigs in a blanket,” ewww, gross.
So thank you for inspiring that reminder stream. And by the way, my favorite lunchbox was from a single-season TV show called “It’s About Time.”
I don’t know whether to laugh out loud or cry. What a great story to share, John. I used to look in shame at my baloney sandwiches & apples – although every once in a while it was a meatloaf sandwich (even grosser) – and wistfully eye the junkboxes my friends had, packed with pre-packaged foods. Although I hated baloney and meatloaf, it was my Mom’s attempt at a wholesome meal for me. Your story reminds me that there were probably a few kids who would have done anything for my sandwiches. Thanks, John.